During the great american interchange, mammals from north america spread southwards and adapted well, yet only three south american mammals managed to successfully invade in north america to the present day: the porcupine, opossum and armadillo.
Why were these three so successful? what adaptations might they have had that the others didnt? how were they able to find a niche?
Categorized | Affiliate Marketing 101
Why Were These Mammals So Successful In North America?
Posted on June 9, 2012.
The armadillo has burrowing ability besides armor, so, although small, it is fairly well able to cope with predators.* Likewise, the porcupine is well protected; as for the opossum, it tends to be arboreal and secretive, so it may not encounter many predators.
* Of course gyptodonts were wiped out by humans but small armadillos probably have bigger populations and are more likely to escape attention.
They have thick skin to survive white mans’ invation